On Sat, Apr 14, 2012 at 3:25 PM, Sherif Ramadan <theanomaly...@gmail.com>wrote:

> Let me say that I've been following this thread for some time now and what
> I'm
> seeing is a lot of poorly communicated ideas with very little thought
> and a lot of
> snappy retort.
>
> > We can walk and chew gum at the same time.  Just because more immediate
> > concerns exist doesn't mean that looking at longer-term issues (keep in
> > mind that people are suggesting this for PHP 6, which is quite a ways
> off)
> > doesn't mean it's invalid.  Likewise, the fact that some people might not
> > think this is important doesn't mean that discussing it because some
> people
> > do think it is important is a waste of time.
> >
> > People bring up issues on this list all the time that I don't think are
> > important, but I have enough respect for them not to derisively post that
> > their issue isn't imporant or that they're wasting everyone's time.  I
> > don't think it's unreasonable to expect that such respect would be
> > reciprocated.
> >
>
> First, I see people saying this idea is a not a good idea for X, Y,
> and Z reasons.
> I don't really see a lot of objective responses as to why it's a good idea
> as
> opposed to it being a bad idea. So the response here should not be one of
> a straw man fallacy. I doubt anyone is really trying to disrespect you
> just for
> your suggestions. I think it's more to the fact that the suggestion is
> poorly
> supported as being something worth implementing.
>

It's worth noting that there are already two other similar RFCs that have
been proposed and other people have expressed interest in this idea.  Most
of the opposition on this thread has come from 2 people, one of whom has
been mostly posting hyperbolic claims and scare tactics.  There hasn't been
much substance for me to actually respond to.

Regarding the specific comment, it was in response to a far-overused cliche
on this list whenever new ideas are posted; "That's not important, we
should be working on other things."  It always annoys me when people post
that, because it doesn't amount to any specific criticism and it assumes
that talking about one thing prevents us from working on another.


> >
> > Please refer to my previous posts on the matter.  For me at least, this
> > isn't about saving a 5-byte tag.  It's about making it easier to
> structure
> > your code with a stronger separation between design and backend function.
> >
> >
>
> As to this point it doesn't fall in line with what PHP is. PHP is meant to
> be
> embed-able. It's meant to be easy. It's meant to make the development
> process fast and simple.
>

This RFC doesn't change any of that.


>
> It isn't meant to be difficult or painful. It isn't meant to create
> impenetrable
> separation between code and design. That won't make anything easier on
> the user. If anything you've just created a border they now have to figure
> out
> how to cross over. Why are you insisting that this separation isn't already
> easy enough to achieve with PHP? Because to me it always has been easy.
> I've been doing it for 6 years. I haven't found anyone that thinks the
> process
> is incredibly difficult or hasn't been able to achieve it in reasonable
> time.
>

PHP has evolved over the years and its usage has evolved.  I would
encourage you to read the background section of the RFC, as I've already
addressed this.

The reason why I'm not responding to certain points is because I've already
addressed them in the RFC and, as a general rule, I try not to be dragged
in to arguments where I'm essentially just repeating myself over and over
again.  If somebody can't be troubled to read the RFC and my posts before
responding to them, then why should I assume they'll read it if I repeat it
x number of times?  To me, THAT is what would actually constitute a waste
of time.


>
> >
> > I think you guys are stressing-out about the file extension idea a little
> > too much, and here's why:  What I'm proposing with regard to the .phpp
> > extension is a convention, nothing more.  The actual differentiation will
> > be in the form of a separate handler that's essentially identical to the
> > current one except for the few minor changes outlined in the RFC.  In
> other
> > words, the .phpp extension is NOT mandatory.  Just as .php is a
> convention,
> > so is this.  If you want to give it an entirely differnet extension in
> the
> > webserver configuration, you can do so.  The .phpp is just what the
> > convention calls for, but in actuality what matters is that it's just a
> > different extension than what you're using for regular PHP scripts.
> >
> > So I would urge everyone to calm down on this point, because I'm not
> > proposing anything new in terms of how file extensions are used.  I would
> > liken it to the difference between .php and .phps.  You can give them
> > whatever extension you want, so long as they're different.  Make sense?
> >
>
> I would urge that if you're going to make a suggestion you address in
> an objective
> manner what the pros and cons of said suggestion are and not take a biased
> view
> by weighing both sides of the facts evenly.
>

You clearly have your own biased view on this issue, so I'm not sure why
you feel it appropriate to lecture others on having their own biases.

I'm the one who proposed this and I'm the one who's advocating it.  Of
course I'm going to be biased in favor of it.  I feel I did a good job of
addressing these pros and cons in the RFC itself, which is where they
should be.  The discussion is where I actually explain why I believe the
pros outweigh the cons, not simply restate the two.  Again, I don't like
repeating myself (and yes, I realize the irony of that statement given how
many times I've said it lol).


> I believe for the most part a lot of voices have weighed in on the
> cons of this idea
> as well as the pros and the cons seem to be clearly outweigh any of the
> pros.
>

As I said, most of the criticisms have come from a very small number of
vocal people.  Their opinions are valid, but it would be inaccurate to
assume they're the majority.  The voting process will ultimately determine
that.  Some people, like myself, believe that the pros outweigh the cons.
 You obviously disagree.


>
> The supporting argument for that fact being that I'm seeing this RFC
> being rewritten
> as regularly as I take my morning coffee.
>

Huh?!  Look at the changelog on the RFC.  The only change I've made so far
since the initial draft was changing the status from draft to discussion.
 I haven't "rewritten" it even once, so I'm not sure where that comment
came from.


> I respect everyone's right to their opinion and I'm willing to hear
> anyone out that is
> willing to consider both sides of the situation objectively and without
> biased.
>

I'm glad you respect everyone's right to their opinion.  As do I.  But I
would ask you to reconsider your claim of being "unbiased," because you've
clearly demonstrated a solid bias against this even on a core conceptual
level.  It might be more accurate to say that you're, "open-minded" about
it, but "unbiased" would be at best misleading.  I'm certainly not unbiased
on this, and with all due respect, neither are you.  So let's not pretend
that we are.

Also, I am increasingly frustrated over the fact that much of what I've put
forth appears to be repeatedly ignored by people commenting on this; i.e.
raising issues that have already been addressed, etc.  Most importantly,
I've offered a third solution that would allow for per-file sanity checking
instead of per-stack, which is exactly what the most vocal critics have
been demanding, and yet so far not one person has so much as acknowledged
this, let alone offered any sort of response (for or against), despite the
fact that this has to be at least the 4th time I've repeated it here.
 Again, I don't like repeating myself, so please read what's already been
said here and on the RFC before posting.  And tell me what you think about
the compromise I suggested.  The only thing more frustrating than having to
repeat oneself is putting out an olive branch in hopes of finding common
ground, only to be ignored and subsequently accused of not trying to find
common ground.  *grumble*

Please review these things, *then *post a response.  Thank you.

--Kris

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